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Three members of the Russian punk feminist collective Pussy Riot (shown here in court in October) were convicted of "hooliganism" in August. Attorneys for (from left to right) Maria Alekhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova filed a complaint Wednesday with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg contesting their conviction Photo: Sergey Ponomarev/AP

Three members of the Russian punk feminist collective Pussy Riot (shown here in court in October) were convicted of "hooliganism" in August. Attorneys for (left to right) Maria Alekhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova filed a complaint Wednesday with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg contesting their conviction. Photo: Sergey Ponomarev/AP

Attorneys for three members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot are taking the group’s “hooliganism” convictions to a human rights court, alleging the Russian government’s actions against them for performing a protest song in a Moscow church violate the European Convention on Human Rights. In a complaint filed on Wednesday, lawyers for the Pussy Riot members claim the convictions violated the convention’s rights to liberty and security, the prohibition of torture, guarantees of freedom of speech and the right to a fair trial, according to the Associated Press.

Pussy Riot, a punk-rock feminist collective, has gained worldwide attention since a video of their “punk prayer” in a Moscow church against Russian president Vladimir Putin went online. Members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich were convicted of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” in August and sentenced to two years in prison work camps that the group characterized on Twitter as “harshest camps of all the possible choices,” an action that drew not only attention to the Kremlin’s reaction to dissent but also the support of everyone from Madonna to electro artist Peaches and Yoko Ono.

Pavel Chikov, a lawyer for the women, told Reuters Thursday that he anticipates the Pussy Riot members will actually be “released from prison before the tribunal ruling,” but that wasn’t the point of the appeal.

‘When we look at the Pussy Riot case, a victory at the European court would be huge – it would be really symbolically important. It would help to keep the world’s attention on Russia.’

— Jasmine Heiss, Amnesty International USA

“But the European Court is not the key mechanism to seek their prompt release,” Pavel told the news service. “It is important to bring in justice, declare them not guilty and, eventually, acquit them.”

There’s a long history in Russia of activists bringing cases like Pussy Riot’s before the European court, said Jasmine Heiss, an advocate for individuals and communities at risk at Amnesty International USA. Even if the women complete their sentences before the European court makes a decision, a win the court would be incredibly important “within the context of larger crackdowns on freedom of speech, freedom of expression and human rights in Russia,” said Heiss.

“When we look at the Pussy Riot case, a victory at the European court would be huge – it would be really symbolically important,” Heiss told Wired. “It would help to keep the world’s attention on Russia to ensure that everyone is still watching this case and that the Putin-led government knows it.”

Samutsevich was released on appeal in October, but the other two members have remained jailed. Tolokonnikova was hospitalized after suffering from overwork on Jan. 24, although she later returned to the prison, according to a tweet by her husband, Pyotr Verzliov.

February 21 marks the one-year anniversary of Pussy Riot’s action in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. Amnesty is planning a rally in D.C. for the night before anniversary, Heiss said, with the original “punk prayer” being played outside the Russian Embassy, in addition to protests in other cities. Other actions like petition deliveries will be held in March to mark the anniversary of the arrest of the three Pussy Riot members.

“It’s important to consider the fact that this case is happening in the context of really intense crackdowns on freedom of speech, freedom of expression, in Russia,” Heiss said. “So if the Pussy Riot case can be used as a lens that captures international attention and then draws people’s focus to what’s happening in Russia right now, I think that’s incredibly important.”